Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved movies. Losing yourself in a fictional world while trying to solve a mystery is the perfect bit of escapism.

Naturally, it came as no surprise to anyone who knew me when I announced that I would be pursuing a degree in media journalism and subsequently a career as a film critic. It’s not a particularly exciting job, but it does mean I get invited to bustling premieres and occasionally I get to interview actors about their upcoming roles, which should be a dream come true, but it’s really not that thrilling.

To be honest, you meet the same people at the same events. Critics sometimes just reuse the same words for a slightly different genre in a slightly different context and it easily becomes a little stagnant and eventually you begin to feel a bit saturated.

I’m a huge fan of indie movies and I’m always on the lookout for…other kinds of movies. Ones that fly under the radar of mainstream cinema. These movies aren’t usually advertised via the usual channels, but rather through word of mouth. You have to ask the right questions to the right people.

Sometimes even to the wrong people.

If you keep your ear to the ground you might find yourself lucky.

The first time I heard about the Violet Rooms was from another industry colleague. I’d been asking around and pulling strings trying to find something, anything that was even a little bit different and not just the same wannabe art nouveau bullshit you can sometimes find at a screening at galleries in the posh parts of town.

This colleague had heard from a friend that one of their friends attended a screening of a new indie horror movie that allegedly terrified him so much he had nightmares for weeks afterwards and that the film was banned from festival circuits.

“What film was it?” I asked my colleagues as I jotted down notes on the paper in front of me.

“I don’t know, some indie horror by a company nobody’s ever heard of.” my colleague replied, “Apparently it’s by invite only, but nobody knows how to get one.”

I furrowed an eyebrow and smelled the bullshit from a mile off.

“That makes no sense.” I complained, “And it’s no help to me. I swear Benny, if you’re pulling my leg…”

“Hand on my heart, this friend told the truth.” Benny promised, “He’s even more of a horror nerd than you are and nothing scares him. I saw the look in his eyes after he’d seen whatever this film was. I’ll ask him if he’ll talk to you, but I can’t make any promises. I’ve gotta go.”

“Thanks, Benny. I appreciate it.”

Benny downed his vodka and put the glass back on the table with a “clank”. He gave me a pat on the shoulder before drunkenly staggering out of the bar and I exhaled a frustrated sigh.
Another dead end.

I sat there for a while, having what was probably one drink too many and debated going home until I heard the chair move behind me.

“You’re interested in the Violet Rooms?” asked a youngish man with messy brown hair, wearing torn, black skinny jeans and a Ramones t-shirt. He inhaled a cigarette, not seeming to give a shit about the fact that this was certainly a no-smoking establishment.

“The what-now rooms?” I asked

“The Violet Rooms.” he repeated, “That’s what the cinema you’re looking for is called.”

“Have you been there?”

“Once or twice. Do you want to know how to get invited?”

Something about the look in the stranger’s eyes unsettled me, but curiosity had already hooked its claw into me.

So, I nodded and a mischievous smirk played across the stranger’s face.

“You have to ask for it.” he explained, “You might not be accepted, though, it depends on if you qualify.”

“How do I ask for it?”

The stranger leaned in towards me, taking a look around as to make sure nobody else overhead us and this is what he told me.

There are five steps to receive an invitation to the Violet Rooms.

Step 1

• Find a photograph of yourself. It can’t be digital and it has to be either developed or printed out. On the back of the photograph, write down your full name with either a pen or a marker. Not a pencil or anything that can be easily rubbed out. Once you’ve done that, fold the photograph in half.

Step 2

• Find a mirror. It cannot be one that’s in your home. A public mirror is your best option, like in a bathroom or in a changing room. Just as long as it isn’t your home. It can never be in your home.

Step 3

• Use a needle or another sharp object to prick your finger and smear the photograph with your blood. That ties it to you.

Step 4

• It’s important that you repeat the following words carefully, in exactly the right order:

“In tenebras quaerens veritatem ibo.”

Step 5

• Burn the photograph quickly and walk away. If it works, you’ll get an invitation to the Violet Rooms with all the details you need.

I wanted to laugh.

It sounded like some silly urban legend, but as I looked up from my notes, the stranger was gone, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke from his cigarette.

I wasn’t going to do the ritual or whatever the hell you want to call it. I don’t believe in that nonsense and I still wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t Benny’s way of pulling me leg.

The longer I sat there, though, the longer I thought about it. What kind of journalist would I be if I didn’t follow a lead? Not just a lead, but the only lead I had to this allegedly mystery cinema. If the ritual doesn’t work, at the very least it’ll be a waste of a photograph of me.

“Oh fuck it.” I mumbled and finished my last drink.

I knew I had a photograph of me and a friend in my wallet, so I carefully tore it in half, leaving only myself in the picture and scribbled my name on the back with my pen.

It took all of 5 minutes and when I stood in the empty bathroom, I felt ridiculous. Nothing happened. I mean, obviously nothing happened and so I left.

I’d written it all off as one of Benny’s bad practical jokes and was annoyed at myself for how easily I’d fallen for it.

Until this morning when I opened my email and found this waiting for me.

You have been cordially invited to attend an evening of exquisite cinema at the Violet Rooms this Saturday evening at 11:11PM. You will shortly receive a separate email with directions to the event.

Here at the Violet Rooms, we pride ourselves in keeping our events discreet and private, and so it is of utmost importance that you do not divulge any information about the location of the event to those who are not invited.

You may not consume any alcohol or illicit substances prior to attending an event at the Violet Rooms. Our devilishly charming hosts will see that your needs are met once you have arrived.

You may not speak with other attendees, even if you think you might know them.

Once seated, you may not leave your seat for the duration of the screening, no matter what you might see, hear or smell.

Failure to comply with our rules and etiquette will result in your name being on our infernal black list.

Each screening at the Violet Rooms is held at a different, unique location in order to protect the sanctity of our filmmakers.

Please RSVP within the next 24 hours to ensure your reservation.

There’s this feeling in my gut that tells me maybe I shouldn’t go, but I have to see what this is all about, don’t I? I could really use you guys’ perspective on this.

Has anyone else heard of the Violet Rooms?